TY - JOUR
T1 - An eye on brain integrity
T2 - Acute optic neuritis affects resting state functional connectivity
AU - Wu, Gregory F.
AU - Brier, Matthew R.
AU - Parks, Cassie A.L.
AU - Ances, Beau M.
AU - Van Stavern, Gregory P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - PURPOSE. Currently, the ability for imaging to capture brain adaptations to injury that occurs in multiple sclerosis (MS) is limited. In particular, how the brain initially contends with the earliest clinical manifestations of white matter injury has yet to be defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of acute optic neuritis (ON) on resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI). METHODS. Fifteen patients with a clinically isolated syndrome of acute ON were evaluated at an academic center in a prospective study. Subjects were assessed with structural and functional vision measures, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), high- and lowcontrast letter acuity testing, and visual fields and quality-of-life measures (VFQ-25). The rsfcMRI was compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls. RESULTS. We observed reduced functional connectivity within the visual system and a loss of anticorrelations between the visual system and nonvisual networks. Stronger functional connectivity between visual regions correlated with better quality of life, as measured by the VFQ-25, and better acuity scores for both high- and low-contrast testing in the affected eye. CONCLUSIONS. The rs-fcMRI functional connectivity changes within (intranetwork) and between (internetwork) resting state networks occur after acute ON, indicating immediate cortical responses to focal inflammatory demyelination. Thus, focal white matter injury in the central nervous system acutely results in widespread network alterations that may lead to functional neurologic changes seen in MS.
AB - PURPOSE. Currently, the ability for imaging to capture brain adaptations to injury that occurs in multiple sclerosis (MS) is limited. In particular, how the brain initially contends with the earliest clinical manifestations of white matter injury has yet to be defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of acute optic neuritis (ON) on resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI). METHODS. Fifteen patients with a clinically isolated syndrome of acute ON were evaluated at an academic center in a prospective study. Subjects were assessed with structural and functional vision measures, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), high- and lowcontrast letter acuity testing, and visual fields and quality-of-life measures (VFQ-25). The rsfcMRI was compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls. RESULTS. We observed reduced functional connectivity within the visual system and a loss of anticorrelations between the visual system and nonvisual networks. Stronger functional connectivity between visual regions correlated with better quality of life, as measured by the VFQ-25, and better acuity scores for both high- and low-contrast testing in the affected eye. CONCLUSIONS. The rs-fcMRI functional connectivity changes within (intranetwork) and between (internetwork) resting state networks occur after acute ON, indicating immediate cortical responses to focal inflammatory demyelination. Thus, focal white matter injury in the central nervous system acutely results in widespread network alterations that may lead to functional neurologic changes seen in MS.
KW - Connectivity
KW - Multiple sclerosis
KW - Optic neuritis
KW - fcMRI
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84939485528&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1167/iovs.14-16315
DO - 10.1167/iovs.14-16315
M3 - Article
C2 - 25813992
AN - SCOPUS:84939485528
SN - 0146-0404
VL - 56
SP - 2541
EP - 2546
JO - Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
JF - Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
IS - 4
ER -